The people of JB and Johore
state should make full use of the public hearing of the Parliamentary Caucus
on Human Rights in JB on 8th July at 2.30 pm to voice out their
hopes and fears about the crime situation

(Parliament,
Wednesday):The people of Johor Baru and
Johore state should make full use of the public hearing of the
Parliamentary Caucus on Human Rights in Johor Baru on Sunday, 8th
July 2007 to voice out their hopes and fears about the crime situation in
the southern capital and state.

The 250%
exceeding of the target of the 100,000-signature campaign launched by the
Johor Baru Chung Hua Association for the restoration of safety, law and
order in the Johore capital, with 350,000 signatures collected from all over
the country, including online, from all races, religions, classes, gender
and age group, illustrates the gravity of the problem of the crime situation
in JB, Johore and Malaysia.

It is commendable
that the top police leadership is showing serious response, with the visit
of the Inspector-General of Police, Tan Sri Musa Hassan to Johor Baru
yesterday and the Johore Chief Police Officer, Datuk Hussein Ismail himself
going down to the “black areas” of crime in JB on night patrol.

There must be
all-round determination that this time, the public revulsion against the
high crime rate and rampant lawlessness in JB, must be a sustained and
long-term commitment and not a short-term response to the public
outcry. This is for the safety of all Malaysian citizens and their loved
ones, tourists and investors.

The notoriety of
JB as the capital of crime must be wiped out, and the self-deprecating and
shameful definition that a person who had not been robbed is not a genuine
resident of JB must be a thing of the past.

The Police should
announce the “black areas” of crime in JB, Johore and the country which will
enable the public to monitor the success of the police drive to turn them
into “safe” crime-free and low-crime areas.

I hope the public
hearing of the Parliamentary Caucus on Human Rights in JB on July 8 can
help to wipe out such a definition of a JB resident – a person who had been
robbed at least once.

Johore Mentri
Besar Datuk Abdul Gani said yesterday that in the next two to four months,
1,274 new cops would be deployed to Johor Baru, improving the
police-population ratio in Johor Baru from 1:1,500 to 1:650.

I had commented
last week in reaction to the earlier announcement of an increase of 400 new
cops to Johor Bahru that what JB needed is an immediate deployment of at
least 1,000 more cops and not just 400.

I am glad that
the Johore Mentri Besar has agreed with my assessment, although I am
surprised by his figures of an improved police:policement ratio to 1:650
from the current 1:1,500 with an increase of 1,274 new cops by August

At present there
are 1,843 police personnel in Johor Baru with a population of 1,690,069
people or police:population ratio of 1:917 – made up of Johor Baru Selatan
with a population of 1,159,079 and 1,159 cops or policemen:population ratio
of 1:1,000 and Johor Baru Utara with a population of 530,990 and 684 cops
or a policemen:population ratio of 1:776.

With an increase
of 1,274 new cops to the 1,843 present police contingent in JB, the
police:population ratio will be 1:542 or more than double the national
policemen:population ratio of 1:275.

May be the
Inspector-General of Police or the Johore Chief Police Officer can
straighten out these confusing and conflicting figures of
policemen-population ratio for JB at present and in a few months time when
another 1,274 new cops are deployed to JB.

This is essential
to establish the professionalism of the police, which has a bearing on
public confidence in the police.